Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka batsman, will retire from international cricket after the second Twenty20 International against Australia. Dilshan won't be available to play the final two One-Day International matches of the ongoing series since he has opted to quit 50-overs cricket on Sunday (August 28) after the third ODI.
Incidentally, Dilshan had made himself unavailable for the limited-overs leg of the the England tour this summer due to personal reasons. He even had a few discussions about his future with Sri Lanka's current chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya before the ODI series against Australia. Dilshan has compiled just 32 runs in the two games he has played so far in the ongoing ODI series, and that perhaps led to his decision to hang up his boots from international cricket.
The veteran cricketer, who started his career as a middle-order batsman, made his international debut in a Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 1999. He aggregated 5,492 runs at a noteworthy average of 40.98 in 87 Tests in the longest format of the game. Dilshan also showed his worth as a part-time offspinner by picking up 39 wickets. He played his final Test against Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium in 2013.
Dilshan has also represented Sri Lanka in 329 ODIs and 78 T20Is. In the 50-over format, the dashing opener, has amassed 10,248 runs at an impressive average of 39.26. He compiled his highest score of 161 not out against Bangladesh at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the ICC World Cup 2015.
The 39-year-old opener played in three 50-over World Cups and was at his aggressive best in the 2011 event when he ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer, with 500 runs at an average of 62.5.
Dilshan was appointed as the captain of the Sri Lankan national team across all three formats of the game in 2011, but he didn't have a successful time. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka lost a string of Test series to England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. He eventually, stepped down from the role in January 2012.
News From : Cricbuzz